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Tuesday, August 23, 2011

This will make you cry! What a sweet story of friendship loss and love. This quilt is so special. Renee made it for her best friends daughter after she lost her battle with cancer. I love how a quilt can be so special. I love how making a quilt can be so healing. Make sure to go to Sewn With Grace to see all she is sewing up! Check out her flickr photostream too! Gorgeous stuff!

A year ago, May, my dear friend, Cheryl, went home to be with the Lord after battling cancer. You can read our storyhere. Recently I had the privilege of creating a memory quilt for her oldest daughter, Leah.

I cannot say that this was an easy quilt for me to make. While I enjoyed the hand applique and piecing, I often found myself in tears. There were times when the pictures became overwhelming. Last week I picked up the quilt from my quilter/friend, Mary. Looking at the beautiful quilting she did brought me to tears again. With the exception of the yellow dot and some green, the beautiful fabric is "Celebration" by Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilts. Her blog is here.

I was not able to see Cheryl at the end of her time on earth. We had talked about me flying out from Michigan to see her in Texas. I kept thinking I had time and allowed my schedule to get in the way. Whenever I thought I could go, something would come up and again I would tell myself that there was plenty of time.

Then one day the news came that she was gone. I could not believe it. I could not fathom that I allowed that time to pass and now it was too late. The guilt of this would eat me up for months. I had missed saying goodbye to one of the most cherished friends that the Lord has ever provided me.

It was during this time that Leah and I began corresponding. Leah was a balm for my soul and I offered to make a memory quilt for her. This has been such a healing process for me, one last thing that I could do for Cheryl. The most meaningful quilt I have ever made.

I urge you to not hesitate in telling the people you love how much they mean to you and to do so face to face if that is at all possible. I know that I will see Cheryl again and we will worship our Lord Jesus together as we did so many times before and this time we will see him face-to-face, but if I could go back to that time I would take the first plane out and run to her.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me this opportunity to make a quilt for Leah and thank you for Cheryl, and for her life that brought me to you.

How true it is to tell those we love NOW and not allow time or schedules to get in our way. I'm certain Your friend would not want you to feel any guilt. She would want you to celebrate her life and use her story to spread the love of Christ with a lost and dying world. You have honored your friend's memory not only with this beautiful quilt but by sharing how your friend loved the Lord and is with Him for Eternity.BlessingsGmama Jane